Fed Up with Business Travel?

Introduction

Travel Smart

• Put luggage tags inside your bags too
• Carry a wallet that fits the currencies you expect to use
• Reduce your load by planning to do laundry
• Use transparent plastic bags
• Dress dark
• Limit your color palette
• Limit clothing variety
• Leave space in your luggage
• Pack ahead and compress
• Be judicious about using the exterior pockets of your carry-on roller bag
• Know what time it is
• Remember the roadway
• Check that the moving walkway is actually moving
• Become a power user of your smartphone, tablet, and other mobile device
• Send maps to your not-so-smart smartphone
• Store travel-related phone numbers in your electronic devices
• Know what kind of electrical adaptor(s) you need
• Understand the body language of your destination culture
• Carry vaccination documents
• Carry an inflatable neck pillow
• If you don't plan to answer your mobile phone, turn it off
• Use your phone's vibrate function sparingly
• Adjust your phone's backlight to conserve power
• Carry a backup battery with a USB recharge port
• Carry a headset or hands-free for your phone
• Know whether your destination requires hands-free phones
• Know whether your destination bans texting while driving
• Consider carrying your toll transponder
• Carry spot remover on longer trips
• Know where to get business travel tips

Travel Smart by Air

• Know the worst flying days and times
• Avoid holiday travel
• Follow airport tweets
• Park your car nose-out in long term parking lots
• Be clever about seat selection
• Prepare for checking your carry-on if using a regional jet
• Carry a hardcopy of your airline's "contract of carriage"
• Know your carrier's policy vis-à-vis "customers of size"
• Pack small
• Pack light
• Use a multi-port USB charger
• Pack extra underwear
• Hedge your bets on flights
• Avoid weather risks
• Use a weather radar app to improve your situational awareness
• If you expect delays, don't check in on line
• Don't book the last flight
• Don't volunteer to check your carry-on
• Know what to do when your departing flight is delayed
• Be conservative if your flight has been cancelled
• Understand the game theory of departing flight delay announcements
• Make a hotel reservation just in case
• Update your seat selection 24 hours before departure
• Choose your seat with the sun in mind
• Know how to assess schedule performance
• Know how to track flight progress
• Know how to avoid lap-held infants
• Sign up for travel alerts
• Equip your smartphone and tablet browsers with useful bookmarks
• Equip your smartphone and tablet with useful travel apps
• Carry emergency rations
• Stay current by following the blogs

Fly Through Airport Checkpoints

• The fastest way through security checkpoints: avoid them
• Adjust your security assumptions as needed
• You're required to present a photo ID
• For traveling inside the U.S.A., install the TSA mobile app
• Set a Google alert for "TSA security changes"
• Subscribe to TSA's notification service
• Use TSA's blog archive
• Check historical airport security wait times in advance
• Know what to do if your ID is lost, stolen, or otherwise unavailable
• Not all checkpoints are created equal
• The black diamond lane is not necessarily the fastest
• If you do carry medical liquids, keep paperwork handy
• Know how to change planes without going through security again
• Carry two government-issued photo IDs
• Keep your photo IDs up to date
• Carry a duplicate photo ID
• Carry a photocopy of your passport
• Carry spare passport photos
• Align your airline ticket name and your ID name
• Understand the TSA prohibition on liquids, gels, and aerosols
• Understand why wearing tight skirts leads to secondary screening
• You can purchase empty liquids containers
• Carry at least one extra one-quart zip top plastic bag
• Gel insoles aren't permitted in aircraft cabins
• Peanut butter is a liquid
• Know about other weird liquid restrictions
• Avoid false positives by explosive sniffers
• Assume that your carry-ons will be searched in public view
• Pack in layers
• Be wary of speaker gifts and conference swag
• Pack systematically
• Coil your cables and cords neatly
• Pack small clothing items in zip-top plastic bags
• Don't stack books in your checked luggage
• Don't pack spare lithium batteries in your checked luggage
• Pay special attention to wires in checked baggage
• There is no such thing as a TSA-approved laptop bag
• At the security checkpoint, leave small electronic items in your carry-on
• Avoid wearing large metal jewelry
• Avoid clothing with metallic components
• Avoid metal belt buckles
• Wear slip-on shoes at the airport
• Wear shankless shoes at the airport
• Assume that at some point you'll have to gate-check your carry-on roller bag
• Empty your pockets before you reach the security checkpoint
• Use the TSA paperless boarding pass if you can, but don't rely on it
• Know the disadvantages of the mobile boarding pass
• Get a paperless boarding pass even if you can't board with it
• Use your AMTRAK ticket like a paperless boarding pass
• Keep your boarding pass in your hand
• A tip for the far-sighted
• Take care not to brush the portal sides as you pass through the magnetometer
• Know what can happen in case of attack

Understand Trusted Traveler Programs

• Understand the purpose of trusted traveler programs
• Tell your airlines your pre-screen ID
• In the U.S., it all begins with…
• U.S. passport holders: get an ePassport
• Australia's SmartGate is available to U.S. trusted travelers
• Be aware of which airports and airlines offer trusted traveler programs
• Be prepared for random selection
• Expedited screening doesn't mean no screening
• Consider questions of trusted-traveler etiquette

Work on the Road

• Work en route
• Accept the limitations of working on the road
• Use your tablet to supplement your laptop
• Make a conscious choice about conversation
• Decide which time zone you're in
• Don't rely on your hotel room clock
• Turn off the hotel room clock alarm
• Charge your equipment before you depart
• Consider leaving your toothbrush charger behind
• Carry your chargers in your carry-on
• Carry a spare battery for your mobile phone in your carry-on
• Find wi-fi hotspots before you leave home
• If you subscribe to a wi-fi service, download their locator app
• Know how to control your land-line voicemail system remotely
• Clear your land-line voicemail box before you leave home
• Carry an Ethernet cable with your computer
• Carry a three-outlet power tap
• Carry a three-prong to two-prong grounding converter
• Carry a six-foot to eight-foot extension cord
• Carry some simple tools
• Have a pay-to-play dialup service
• Have an Internet-based fax account
• Carry a line voltage tester
• Know about power availability at the airport
• Carry a prepaid phone card or account
• Know how to make a second call on a calling card
• Never put your phone, tablet, mobile devices, planner, or diary in checked luggage
• If you're still using a hardcopy planner, get with it: go electronic
• Carry a hardcopy of your address book
• Carry basic office supplies
• Make generic entries in your address book

Get the Fringe Benefits

• Earn elite status fast
• Use your miles
• Get a loyalty card management app for your smartphone or tablet
• Subscribe to at least one newsletter
• Join hotel loyalty programs
• Join car rental loyalty programs
• Install travel-related apps on your smartphone or tablet
• Ask for what you want
• Get permanent email forwarding
• Get roadside assistance included
• Get the best rental car
• Don't stay in the airline's hotel
• Get toiletry compensation for luggage delays
• Catch the server's eye
• Sit in over-wing exit rows
• Focus your bookings

Enjoy the Journey

• Load a travel guide onto your phone
• Install the GateGuru app on your mobile devices
• Carry recorded books or courses
• Get known at your home airport
• Know how to find restaurants you'll like
• Enjoy layovers
• Search the Web for the ten best of anything
• Know how to get the best from your hotel room coffeemaker
• Learn about hotel amenities in advance
• Reserve spa treatments before you arrive
• Make dinner reservations before you arrive
• Get out and enjoy where you are
• Know the local holidays, festivals, and celebrations
• Watch your hometown team play when they're on the road
• Build or refresh your network
• Look up old friends
• Take a book or two
• Carry classics electronically
• If you can't find the electronic form of the book you want, make one
• Check book publishers for ebook deals
• Have a portable hobby
• If you carry a laptop, consider DVDs or other electronic media
• Tack on extra days
• Take it easy
• Use checklists for packing what you need
• Take your checklist with you
• Don't unpack when you get there
• Repack when you get home
• Have two (or more) sets of luggage
• Use checklists for pre-trip and post-trip action items

Stay Healthy

• Handshakes and public surfaces are risky
• Keep well hydrated
• Eat what you normally eat
• Know how to keep fruit in your diet
• Ask TSA personnel to change gloves
• Don't drink tap water on airplanes
• Put a note in your checked baggage
• Watch your back
• Put on an extra pair of socks before entering airport security checkpoints
• Dress for the cold
• Plan your dental work
• Know how to deal with jet lag
• Exercise as usual
• Exercise in your room if you have to
• With fitness bands, keep it simple and light
• Use the hotel stairwell
• Work out in the morning
• Ask your hotel concierge about local athletic facilities partnerships
• Use the Web to find local athletic facilities
• Ask your health club about exchange agreements
• Learn about that gear before you buy it
• Carry hand sanitizer in a spray pen package
• Don't handle the hotel room TV remote
• Phones, pens, light switches, and door handles aren't safe either
• Know how to recognize and deal with bed bugs
• Use the luggage rack in your hotel room
• Mark your bags to indicate the "front"
• Get a luggage rack for home use
• Keep your clothes off the hotel room floor
• Take control of your diet
• Don't eat airline food
• Don't eat airport food either
• On long flights, get up and walk around
• On long drives, stop and stretch
• Use the overhead air vent onboard aircraft (or not)
• Carry a few sticks of gum
• Have a 36-hour rule for fevers
• Know how to find good public restrooms

Know How to Handle Unusual Events

• Set Google alerts for airline nonrefundability waivers
• Never miss a chance to charge your batteries
• Carry cash
• Carry some snacks
• Be prepared to sleep in the airport
• Understand your medical plan
• Enter "ICE" in your mobile phone address book
• Get "ICE" stickers for your phone
• Know how to use the "loc" keyword at Google
• Keep an emergency kit in your car

Be Safe and Secure

• U.S. citizens: before traveling abroad, sign up with STEP
• Sign your passport and fill in the emergency contact information
• Become mobile device security-aware
• Turn off Bluetooth and wi-fi on your mobile devices when not in use
• Use a longer pass code for your mobile devices
• Use your smartphone to snap photos of important signage
• Carry an emergency contact card
• Understand how thieves can steal data from your contactless passport, identity cards, or credit cards
• Protect your passport against illicit scanning
• Keep your U.S. passport card in a scan-resistant case
• Keep all RFID-carrying credit cards in a scan-resistant case
• Know the most popular urban legends
• Favor larger, younger aircraft
• Let someone know your itinerary
• When traveling by car, protect the security of your route
• Backup your laptop before you depart
• Update your mobile devices' apps before you depart
• Backup or synch your phone, tablet, and mobile devices before you depart
• Carry only the credit cards you use
• Photocopy or scan the credit cards you do carry
• Record critical information about the cards you carry
• Prepare for pickpockets
• Carry a dummy wallet
• Before staying at an unfamiliar hotel, check it out with Google Street view
• If you're nodding off at the airport departure gate, secure your belongings
• Don't trust a stranger with your bags
• On board the aircraft, keep a close eye on valuables
• If you don't like money belts, try a leg safe
• In any situation, minimize your NOSI: the number of separate items you're carrying
• Know your NOSI
• Measure your NOSI whenever you move from place to place
• Take extra care in high-NOSI situations
• Know your personal leave-behind patterns
• Have standard places for your belongings in high-NOSI situations
• Know how to make your rental car not look rented
• Use Google street view to see your destination
• Use Google street view for tricky intersections on the way to your destination
• At the airport security checkpoint, load the conveyor belt wisely
• At the checkpoint, prevent theft by talking to the passenger in line in front of you
• Reverse your luggage tags
• Minimize the information on your luggage tags
• Secure your electronic devices
• Tape your business card to the bottom of your laptop or tablet
• Tape your mobile phone number to the back of your photo ID
• Be sure your mobile phone number is on your luggage tags
• Sign up for an item ID tag service
• Park important electronic documents in the cloud
• Use a commercial file storage service
• Carry identification numbers of important documents
• TSA-approved luggage locks won't stop thieves
• Have a "This Is Not Your Bag" sign inside your bag
• Use cable ties as a lock alternative
• When arriving at the hotel, stay with your luggage
• When checking in at a hotel, don't let the clerk say your room number aloud
• When checking in at a hotel, pay attention to your credit card
• Always verify your credit card
• Know how to protect yourself from tip fraud
• Lock your luggage when you're out of your hotel room
• Carry a couple of clothespins or clips
• Beware iCrime or "Apple-picking"
• Know how to prevent hotel room break-ins
• Carry a small bell and tape it to the inside of your hotel room door
• Wrap a brightly colored band around each piece of luggage
• Carry photos of your luggage
• Keep your carry-ons in sight
• Carry a small flashlight at all times
• Request a hotel room on a low floor
• Be prepared to evacuate your hotel room
• Set your flashlight on the hotel nightstand when you retire
• Check your flashlight every three months or so
• Request the minimum number of hotel room keys
• Know what to do if you lose your hotel room card key
• Don't use the "Please make up room" sign
• Keep the "Do not disturb" sign on your hotel room door even when you're out
• When entering your hotel room for the first time, check first that it's empty
• Check the patio door and the pass-through door routinely
• Secure the hotel room door whenever you're in the room
• Never accept a hotel room with defective security locks
• Avoid using the hotel room service door hanger when staying alone
• Keep the drapes closed
• Keep small valuables with you — not in your hotel room
• If you must leave your laptop at the hotel, secure it
• Understand the limitations of the in-room safe
• Tablet locks aren't here yet
• When choosing a lock combination, rely on randomness
• Decline turndown service
• Never open your hotel door to an unexpected knock
• Validate before opening your hotel door to the expected knock
• After a room break-in, call the police first
• Give the appearance of two
• Be discrete about reading maps
• Use the Web to stay current
• Carry medication on board

Be Comfortable

• Know what to do if the hotel sells out
• Wear comfortable shoes
• Wear sneakers en route
• Consider carrying a footrest for air travel
• Regularly shift the position of your under-seat carry-on
• Carry a spare key for your own car
• Avoid overnight flights
• Wear earplugs on airplanes
• Supply business contact information, not personal contact information
• Take charge of your hotel room assignment
• Make special requests in advance
• Ship home what you don't need
• Pack wrinkle-free
• Pack roller bags with heavy items near the wheels

Save a Little Money

• Use the guest laundry
• Know the options for laundry detergent
• Buying new can be cheaper than cleaning
• Use a taxi fare computation service
• Consider alternative airports
• Stay an extra day
• Use public transit
• After reserving a room on line, call the property directly
• Get Skype for your smartphone and laptop
• Gather Skype addresses in advance
• Suggest to others that they enroll in Skype
• When using Skype from your laptop, remember your Bluetooth headset
• Print and carry your car rental booking confirmation
• Book a rental car at least one grade smaller than you need
• Don't be fooled by special offers for car rentals
• Avoid airport car rentals if you can
• Examine fuel charges carefully
• Inspect your rental vehicle before you drive away
• Retain all rental car documents for one year
• Consider parking near the hotel instead of at the hotel
• Install a parking facility locator app
• Buy gas cheap
• Decline the mini-bar key
• Beware the motion-sensor mini-bar
• Track airfare changes with YAPTA
• Beware airfare price comparisons
• Avoid using your hotel room phone
• Use free phone number information services
• Know how to skip the outgoing message on mobile phones
• Install a 411 app in your mobile phone
• Avoid airport hotels
• Pack snacks
• Pack a lunch
• Be ridiculously disciplined about tracking your expenses
• Avoid foreign exchange credit card fees
• Avoid transaction fees on your ATM transactions
• Consider booking a compassion fare

Think of Home

• Call home often
• Use the Internet to stay in touch
• Remember special days
• Do lightweight shopping errands on the road
• Carry a small framed photo of loved ones
• Talk to people
• Leave surprise voicemail messages
• If you have a refrigerator in your hotel room
• If you live alone, have fresh produce delivered when you return
• Bring your own music
• Avoid broadcast news if you can
• Get your hometown news on line
• Visit relatives